Electrical contacts for retaining the leads of electrical components must have sufficient contact force to retain engagement with the component leads and yet be small enough to allow easy insertion and withdrawal of the component leads without damage to the leads, the contacts or the component. In general the techniques employed heretofore to reduce the insertion force on an electronic component have related to a multiple contact socket in which an array of contacts are configured to minimize insertion force. One type of low insertion force socket employs an array of contacts which are moved to an open position for acceptance of a component plugged therein, and after component insertion the contacts are moved to a closed position for electrical engagement with the component leads. Another type of low insertion force socket employs an array of contacts which are arranged in spaced planes such that component leads inserted into the socket engage the group of contacts in the upper plane before the engagement of contacts in the lower plane. The individual contacts themselves do not have any improved configuration for minimizing insertion force.